French President Emmanuel Macron on
Thursday backed holding further talks to avoid Britain crashing out of
the EU without a deal but rejected major concessions, as he hosted Prime
Minister Boris Johnson just over two months ahead of the planned
British exit.
Echoing comments by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Macron supported
allowing another month to find a solution to the vexed issue of the
Irish border which has bedevilled negotiations since 2017.
But he also said the so-called Irish backstop that has caused such
controversy in London was "indispensible" and said all talks had to be
based on the withdrawal deal negotiated by Johnson's predecessor Theresa
May repeatedly rejected by the British parliament.
"We need to try to have a useful month," Macron said alongside Johnson,
adding that France was nonetheless planning for all scenarios and
"notably that of no deal" when Britain exits the EU on October 31.
Johnson, who pictures showed putting his foot on a table in the Elysee
palace, however insisted that solutions were "readily available" to
prevent checkpoints returning in divided Ireland.
Macron admitted he had a reputation as the "hardest in the gang" on
Brexit and rejected Johnson's calls to scrap the backstop arrangement
for Ireland.
The backstop is a provision guaranteeing that border checks will not
return between EU member Ireland and Northern Ireland which is part of
Britain.
The backstop provided "indispensible guarantees to preserve stability in
Ireland and the integrity of the single market," Macron said.
Johnson wants the backstop removed and has called it "anti-democratic"
because it will require London to keep its regulations aligned with the
EU during a transitional period when the country is no longer a member
of the bloc.
- 'A little concerned' -
A senior EU official in Brussels told reporters on Thursday ahead of the
talks in Paris that the European side was "a little concerned based on
what we heard" on Wednesday from Johnson in Berlin.
Since Johnson's ascent to power last month, the chances have risen of a
"no deal" Brexit on October 31, which economists see as likely to wreak
economic damage on Britain and the EU.
"The EU and member states need to take the possibility of a 'no deal'
outcome much more seriously than before," the EU official said on
condition of anonymity.
A French official said on Wednesday that this was becoming the "most likely" scenario
But the window offered by France and Germany to Johnson to find a
solution led to renewed optimism in financial markets, where the pound
rose by as much as 1.0 percent against the euro and dollar.
"Let's get Brexit done, let's get it done sensibly and pragmatically in the interests of both sides," said Johnson.
He said all the necessary work should be done "to make sure -- whether
we get an agreement or not -- our exit is as smooth and pain-free as
possible."
Speaking in the Netherlands later on Thursday, Merkel said Britain had
right up to the current deadline for Brexit of October 31 to find a
solution to the Irish border problem, beyond the 30-day window she
mentioned on Wednesday.
- Glimmer of hope? -
Johnson said that he had been "powerfully encouraged" by his talks with
Germany's leader. "I admire that 'can do' spirit that she seemed to
have," he said.
But many Brexit watchers saw Merkel's remarks as fitting a pattern in
which Merkel has often been more conciliatory in public about Brexit
than Macron, whose abrasive remarks have angered London in the past.
"There is not the width of cigarette paper between Paris and Berlin on
these issues," a senior aide to Macron said on Wednesday on condition of
anonymity.
Mujtaba Rahman, Europe managing director for the Eurasia Group
consultancy, interpreted the offer of talks as a minor concession
designed to avoid the EU being seen as being responsible for a "no deal"
Brexit.
"They’re saying to Boris, you insist this can be done another way. You
have 30 days to produce what you, the British, could not produce in two
years," he wrote on Twitter.
Johnson has staked his leadership on withdrawing Britain from the EU by the current deadline "do or die".
Some analysts see a risk of relations between Macron and him becoming
stormy in public, but the two men smiled and slapped each other on the
back as they appeared on the steps of a sun-lit Elysee palace and at the
end of two hours of talks.
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